Submission Guidelines
Mormon Humor
First things first.

LDS Inkslinger wholeheartedly embraces the doctrine, leadership, and institutions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Submissions critical of these will not be considered.

We only accept clean and wholesome material. We will not consider anything profane, vulgar, or mean.

Above all, make it funny. To borrow a thought from the ever excellent LDS humorist Eric D. Snider, a piece is not funny just because it's true. Simply trotting out some quirk of LDS culture so the reader will think Wow! That DOES happen 'cause I seen it! makes for flat reading. This sort of piece amuses (at best), but it is certainly not comedy. LDS humorists step into this trap all the time, perhaps from our collective need to share in our common understanding of a subculture so often misunderstood and maligned by the broader world. It's too bad, really. Only when we wed our quirks to actual comedic treatment does the fun happen.
Types of Submissions

1. News Satire Articles - LDS themed. Deadpan delivery. Typically 300-600 words. We accept:
  • Ideas. Encouraged! We say "thank you" then write it up ourselves. Submit ideas in headline form, perhaps with a short plot description.
  • Queries. Headline with fully developed plot outline. Once accepted, you write and submit the final draft.
  • Drafts. The riskiest choice. You get a no, yes, or fix it up, please.

2. Humor Essays - LDS themed personal essays, creative non-fiction, parodies of such, etc. Typically 500-1,000 words, but if your word count makes sense for the piece, we'll go with it. We accept:
  • Queries. Send a standard non-fiction query letter.
  • Drafts. Again, a risk. Same scenario: no, yes, or rewrite.

3. General Humor - Either news satire articles or humor essays. Non-LDS themed. Must be clean and wholesome (and funny). Previous guidelines apply according to format.

Email submissions to [email protected].